What happened to when Pokémon were nothing more than dragons, pink blobs and giant turtles with water cannons? After you figure out just what in the world those two things are, be excited to know that Pokémon Black and White 2 are due out this fall. While Japanese gamers will get to enjoy the first numbered sequel in the series of primary Pokémon hits this June, we Westerners will have to wait patiently for Nintendo of America to think up more palatable names for the beasts.

However, the game will be available for the original Nintendo DS. While 3DS owners can still play the game, this Pokémon won't have any fancy 3D effects. It looks like those who were hoping to see Pikachu's Thunderbolt in glorious, glasses-free 3D will have to wait another year or so.

The fact that this is the first numbered sequel in the main series of games is plenty interesting. Being the first to buck the trend, Pokémon Black and White 2 could see new approaches to the tried-and-true-but-ultimately-stale Pokémon style. That could also just be this writer's wishful thinking. At any rate, maybe this video of a talk we recently had with Nintendo's resident Pokémon expert could make up for the lack of 3D Bulbasaurs ... temporarily.